Parents petition for road safety measures near Oakthorpe Primary School

The parent of a child at Oakthorpe Primary School is petitioning Enfield Council to improve pedestrian safety in the vinicity of the school, which is Tile Kiln Lane, near the junction with Chequers Way.

The online petition, on change.org, reads as follows:

Produce adequate road safety for Oakthorpe Primary School before a child is injured.

My child has been attending Oakthorpe Primary School on Tile Kiln Lane since September 2015 and very early on I noticed that there was a major problem with road safety directly outside the school and the surroundings areas. During school pick up times the roads become chaotic, dangerous and hazardous for all pedestrians in the neighbouring vicinity. The only safety measures in place directly outside the school are yellow lines and a dropped kerb for pedestrians to cross, many parents have total disregard for these and park on the yellow lines and directly over the dropped kerb on a daily basis, forcing parents and children into the road and hindering the view of oncoming traffic.

The school is situated in a very narrow, dead end lane, with a very small pavement (only on one side) for the entire school to navigate down. Only one car can fit comfortably down the lane at a time but parents still drive down there causing havoc and adding to the already chaotic and dangerous road conditions we endure every day. Last year the council ran a pilot scheme where only residents of Tile Kiln Lane could access the road between the busy school run hours. Whilst the scheme ran, Tile Kiln Lane was a lot calmer and safer, however there has been no more progress on this since then.

We have a small roundabout near the entrance of the lane, this is also total pandemonium everyday. There is a crossing adjacent to this roundabout on Chequers Way, but unfortunately when standing at the crossing you can not see the oncoming traffic, and motorists are extremely reluctant to stop, making the crossing totally invalid, as its too risky to cross there. Most parents who would use this crossing, choose to cross somewhere in the road where you can see oncoming traffic on both sides, this is also risky, but still safer than using what is provided.

I have spoken to the council who have agreed to carry out a survey on the area, this will calculate how many pedestrians and motorists use the area. This data is then used to work out if pedestrian crossings are needed, where it is needed and what type (eg . zebra crossing, traffic lights etc). However, even if the data evaluates that a crossing is needed, it then comes down to how it is funded and the priority need for it, in comparison to other crossings needed within the borough. Priority is worked out by how many accidents involving pedestrians have occurred and as there has only ever been one reported collision (where a car hit a bicycle when turning out of a road) that would more than likely not make us high priority.

I want to use this petition to ask Enfield Council to assess the safety issue arising from us having inadequate safe crossings outside Oakthorpe Primary School and the local vicinity leading to the school. I also feel it is important to ensure that the local community is involved in the decision making of how this is addressed. I would also urge the council to enforce the pilot scheme that they ran last year or find an alternative, suitable solution to the problem of traffic on Tile Kiln Lane.

See also...

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